Meet John Jarrett of Atlanta Leadership Club in Cabbagetown

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Jarrett.

Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
5 years ago I was lying in a hospital bed due to a horrific knee injury, and I questioned what I was doing with my life and what impact I was having on the world around me. At that time I was the logistics director for a small technology firm and I was happy but not really using my skill set or the degree I have in Recreation and Leisure studies.

Just down the street from me at what looked like an abandoned church was a sign that said, Wilderness Works, so one day when I was finally walking around a little I just knocked on the door. The director opened the door and I asked if they needed help. His immediate response was, “yes”.  And that is the beginning of my work in the non-profit world.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been very challenging throughout the process of developing an organization. Just the 501 paperwork for the IRS was complicated and took a couple of months to fill out.

The first participant I started mentoring was arrested over 5 times after I started mentoring him so I certainly did not feel like I was succeeding there. Fortunately now he is in a good home in Tennessee and is doing really well in school. But for a year there I was very concerned and I certainly felt like I wasn’t doing a good job.

Atlanta Leadership Club – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Atlanta Leadership Club is a leadership development program for teenagers from at-risk neighborhoods. We focus on Job skill and life skill development with the focus of providing jobs or connections to jobs in the surrounding community.

What sets us apart from other programs is although we focus on the teenagers we also provide a lot of parental guidance for the families and connections to summer camps for the children who are too young to join the program.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment actually happens almost every day – When I walk into the neighborhood, or into the homes in the community and see the smiles that greet me – That is always my happiest and proudest moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: AtlantaLeadershipClub.org
• Phone: 678-466-0917
• Email: john@atlantaleadershipclub.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlantaleadershipclub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atlantaleadershipclub/

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.